The 2018 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Dennis Daugaard was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Republican candidate Kristi Noem won against Democratic candidate Billie Sutton in the closest gubernatorial election in South Dakota since 1986. Noem also became the first female governor of the state. Her victory extended the longest active hold on a governorship by one party; the GOP has won every gubernatorial election in South Dakota since 1978.